National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day a Success

10/9/2012

Last Saturday, September 29, the Irvine Police Department participated in the 5th National Drug Take-Back Day sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice. The goal of this important initiative is to prevent inappropriate use and irresponsible disposal of potentially dangerous expired, unused or unwanted prescription drugs by offering a responsible disposal opportunity.

This year, 5,263 police agencies participated in the event, collecting 244 tons of unwanted prescription drugs nationally. The Irvine Police Department staffed a drop-off location for four hours in partnership with Kaiser Hospital and collected 585 pounds of prescription medication. When added to the collections from DEA's previous four Take-Back event days, more than 2 million pounds (1,018 tons) of prescription medications have been removed from circulation during the past two years.